Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/356

339 EAELY MISSIONARIESB' RECORDS. 339 we shall obtain some children; but until these things can be regulated by government we cannot expect Very great success." Mr. Sibley,. in his report, cbm- iciends the Osaj?es for the uniforiai and constant faith- fulness to the French and Americans. . They offered their services to him when he was in command of Fort Clark (Fort Osage), when British emissaries at- tempted to engage them in their service, and declared their determination "neyer to, desert their Ameiican Father as long as he was faithful to them." There is no doubt but at the time of our story, there were two separate bands, viz.: the Great or Grand, and Little; but in 1796 a French trader seeing he had lost his prestige and monopoly in buying peltries of the Osages at their locations, concluded to work up an emigration scheme so he could establish a trading post. This man's name was Pierre Choteau, a St. Louis fur trader. It was quite cute of Mr. French- man, who offered the young men of the bands every hiducement to go southwest. The schenie succeeded and a third nation was located on the Verdigrig river in the southeastern part of Kansas; this third branch was called "Chaneers" or "Arkansas band" and be- came the most prominent. A perusal of the history of the Osages will con- vince anyone of the shrewdness which they usually displayed in releasing territory to the Government and acquiring new lands; and at last, all the three bands joined together and they occupy the princely domain now owned by them in the Indian Territory, or rather the State of Oklahoma, (Oklahoma and In- dian Territories having come into the Union under